In this week’s episode of Get Fit in the City, Eva (and myself) took a Jock Yoga class with Mr. Michael Decorte. If you haven’t had the pleasure to set foot in one of his classes, you truly are missing out.  Don’t let the name intimidate you at all, Jock Yoga is Michael’s take on power yoga where emphasis is on strength, endurance and toning. Jock yoga is designed for men and women, flexible or not. If you desire breaking a sweat in an intense class (like I do!), then you have to get yourself in one his classes as soon as you can.

In addition to making you hold Asanas (postures) for what seems like an illegal amount of time, Michael uses contemporary music throughout his class. Imagine if you will downward dogging to Madonna or Coldplay…. I love it! By the end of a class he will have you feeling strong enough to tackle an arm balance or two. Michael is also famous for the following quotes “one more”, “last one”…..between you and I, he is totally lying. That always means at least another 3-4.

If you like his regular classes and are really feeling up for a challenge, Michael does yoga bootcamps every few months. What exactly is a yoga bootcamp? Every Tuesday – Thursday from 6:45 – 7:45 am (yes am, not pm), he will put you through vigorous sequences that target different parts of the body on each day. Tuesday – legs, Wednesday – core (my fav!) Thursday – arms(which means so many chaturangas, you pretty much lose count.) Don’t you fret though! You work everything all the time no matter the day; you just have extra special things to do on certain days. I have been through three bootcamps and even though waking up at 5:15 is not my favourite thing to do, I look forward to doing it for his classes.

In addition to having super strong and amazing classes, Michael’s instructions are bang on. You honestly never have to take a peak around to see what other people are doing, he speaks super clearly to ensure that you understand and are not pulled out of your practice. Will you find traditional Ashtanga in his classes? Of course you will, but it is with a twist. You can attend a traditional Ashtanga class anywhere in the city. Where else will have you holding warrior 2 for the longest 10 second count ever (sometimes while holding yoga blocks in each hand!) Oh and you can rest assured that if anyone drops their arms, or comes out of a posture too soon, he will start counting from 1 again….My advice, don’t be that person!! And don’t be fooled thinking that when he turns his back you can rest….he knows all of our little tricks.

Want to try a class yet? You should, you will be hooked. I know I certainly am. Michael is definitely my favourite teacher. Check out his website to see where he is teaching and get yourself there: JOCK YOGA

Don’t be afraid of a little (or a lot) of sweat. It’s good for you 😉 

P.S. Don’t forget to watch: Get Fit in the City

In the latest episode of “Get Fit in the City”, viewers had the opportunity to watch Eva take on a Barreworks class. Barreworks – located  on Queen Street West, opened in Toronto back in June and it has been building steam ever since. Based on the fitness sensation that has hit New York and Los Angeles, the Barreworks^TM system was created by a team of certified fitness, yoga and dance professionals, to achieve a long, lean and strong dancers physique.  If you have seen the video – and if you haven’t, then you have to watch it – you will see that Eva was led through the Mixed Level Barre class by Paulina. This class is a 1 hour muscle sculpting and cardio workout where they used fun props such as resistance bands, weighted balls and the barre itself to work their entire bodies.  I didn’t take part in this class, but as I watched it, I was envious.  Let me tell you, I will definitely be getting my butt into that class very soon! Paulina has an infectious energy that gets her class moving with great music pumping in the background.  I watched as Eva and the rest of the class broke a crazy sweat all while smiling and forgetting that they were working hard! Now that’s the way to work out.  They did stretches, lunges, jumping, planks, and bicep curls, and, of course, my favourite Ab work.  Are you new to fitness? No need to worry, this mixed level class is just that, you will find a mix of levels, and Paulina will talk you through modifications as needed.

Because it is relatively new to the Toronto fitness scene, I didn’t have any expectations from the class and the studio, but going there certainly surpassed anything I was thinking. Located above the famous Duke’s Cycle, Barreworks is a bright, big and clean space.  There are three studios, one of which is for spinning. Yes, there is actually a spin/barre hybrid for all of you who like dancing while riding a bike ;).

In addition to their signature Mixed level class, Barreworks offers: Barreworks express, which is basically a 40 min version of what you would find in the one hour mixed level class – perfect for all of you who work nearby and want to break a sweat at lunch ;), Spinbarre and Yogabarre. As a yogi myself, I have since gone back to the studio to check out the Yogabarre. Jaimee, who teaches it, is simply awesome. She teaches a Hatha vinyasa flow, but with her own flair added to it. In this class you will find unique stretches and flows and I loved that the class never stopped moving (unless of course you needed to). It was literally like performing a dance for an hour and fifteen minutes. It was the perfect combination of strength and stretch. So when you do get to the studio, I highly recommend this class as well!

So there you have it, my opinion on a great new studio that you have to check out! Why are you still sitting there reading? Get over to Queen West now!!